Tsukahara Bokuden was a famous swordsman of the civil war period, widely known as the sword saint. He was the founder of a new Kashima style, and served as an instructor of Shogun Ashikaga Yoshiteru. He learned the Tenshin Sh?den Katori Shinto ryu school and traveled throughout Japan to face most of the skillful and knowledgeable swordsmen those days. After allegedly receiving a divine inspiration from Takemikazuchi no kami, the deity of Kashima Shrine, he named his martial system as Kashima Shinto ryu. He was often fond of using a sword made by Rai Kunitoshi, a son of Rai Kuniyuki. Rai Kunitoshi is referred as Niji Kunitoshi (i.e. "two-character Kunitoshi"). Commonly his work is in the same style of Kuniyuki and yet many consider Rai Kunitoshi's sword is more elegant and less flamboyant than his father's, often featuring suguba and a tapering sugata. This kahara Bokuden Rai Kunitoshi Koshirae features the extraordinary big and unique Awabi style Tsuba, nicely reproduced from the legendary Tsuba craftsman, Nobuiye. The black gloss finished Sendan Kizami Saya features the bold O-Kuwagata style Kojiri. Fuchi/Kashira and Menuki feature a powerful tigers in gold color. Features A sand-casted, reinforced zinc/aluminum alloy extra wide blade with reproduction of Rai Kunitoshi's Hamon Single grooved Hi Approximately 845 gram without the Saya(for 2.45 Shaku) Black leather Tsuka Hinerimaki wrapping over white stingray skin Blackened brass Fuchi/Kashira with gold-plated Taketora(tiger in bambo bushes) theme Blackened extra big iron Awabi Tsuba, reproduced from the original Nobuiye's Tsuba Brass Menuki with tigers theme Black gloss Sendan Kizami Saya with copper O-Kuwagata Kojiri Handmade in Japan.
*Iaito are made with an aluminum zinc alloy blade and cannot be sharpened.
